Tijjani Reijnders Baby Adoption Story: Truth Behind Viral Claim About Man City Midfielder

Tijjani Reijnders has been going viral on social media recently — and not because of what he has been doing on the pitch.

The Manchester City midfielder — who scored in a 1-1 draw at Chelsea earlier this month and also found the net in the 10-1 thrashing of Exeter City — has been the subject of viral claims suggesting he adopted a baby girl who was abandoned outside the Etihad Stadium.

Did Tijjani Reijnders really adopt a baby girl found outside Man City’s stadium?

Despite multiple social media posts going into detail about how Reijnders tracked down an abandoned baby girl and “welcomed her into his home”, the story is a complete hoax.

Indeed, there are no credible reports from police, local authorities or reputable news outlets of any baby being abandoned near the Etihad Stadium in recent weeks.

Nevertheless, it has been liked, shared and reposted thousands of times across platforms.

One such fake post read: “BREAKING NEWS: Tijjani Reijnders adopts baby girl found under a Manchester City bridge.

“Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has officially adopted a baby girl who was found abandoned under a bridge near the Etihad Stadium on a cold, rainy night last month.

“The newborn was found shivering inside a flooded cardboard box, with no identification or clues about her family. After seeing her photo shared in a local campaign, Reijnders was deeply moved and immediately contacted the authorities. After months of legal procedures and an emotional wait, the Manchester City star finally welcomed her into his home.”

Within the fake post was a made-up quote attributed to Reijnders, which read: “From being abandoned under that bridge to becoming my whole world, she will never be alone again. Welcome, my little angel.”

Why did the story go viral?

Fake claims about Reijnders adopting an abandoned baby girl went viral because it was a highly emotive human-interest story involving a well-known public figure.

Many readers connected with the content on an emotional level. One comment on Facebook read: “May God bless you and your beautiful little angel.”

However, many other users were quick to question the validity of the tale, with plenty correctly calling it out as “fake news”.

The fact that so many of the posts gained traction highlights just how easy it has become for misleading or fabricated stories to spread on social media platforms such as Facebook and X.

Has Tijjani Reijnders commented on the posts?

To date, Reijnders — who made a superb start to life at Man City with a goal and assist against Wolves on his Premier League debut in August — has not publicly commented on the false rumours claiming he adopted an abandoned baby girl.

The most recent post on his Instagram account came shortly after Man City’s 2-0 away win over Newcastle on Tuesday night in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

Alongside three photos of himself in action at St James’ Park, he wrote: “Advantage taken with us to the Etihad.”

Next up for Man City is their 198th head-to-head meeting with Manchester United, which will take place at Old Trafford on Saturday.

 

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Does Tijjani Reijnders have any children in real life?

While the rumours about Reijnders adopting an abandoned baby girl in Manchester are false, he and his wife Marina Reijnders do have a young child.

The couple welcomed a baby boy, Xavien, in early 2024 and have shared several photos of him on social media, including during the recent Christmas period.